monday morning pop

The Producer:As we transition from a lifestyle of "More is Better" to one that now revolves around efficiency, it isn't surprising to see an evolution in the product world. Items originally designed to provide a single outcome are now expanding to portray multiple functions. For example, take a look at your smartphone. It is no longer utilized just for making a phone call, rather it has the capabilities of enhancing your life in many ways. Whether at home or at work, we are always looking for products that can help us become more efficient, while not constraining our wallets. With this mentality playing a role within my life, I was intrigued to learn more about a product that Dan Barnes, Wes LaPorte, and Brennan Crellin of PhoneSoap are currently working to bring to market.

The Offer:After running a successful crowdfunding project two years ago, Dan, Wes, and Brennan decided it was time to introduce a new product on Kickstarter. What started as an idea of creating a lamp that contained a USB outlet, Brennan's original concept has evolved to what is now called the Luma SmartLamp. According to the team, aside from its purpose of simply providing light, Luma has the capabilities of charging devices, listening to music, making a call, and setting the mood. And all of the features noted can be controlled simply from an app on your phone.

With two elegant designs, Luma is equipped with million color LED lights that can last up to 20 years and use 20x less energy than a traditional bulb. Adjusted using the app, the end user has the ability to choose the color of the light, setting the right one based on mood and environment.

In coordination with the light, Luma's wood base is "equipped with a high quality built-in bluetooth speaker and microphone. This means you can play all of your phone's audio output through Luma SmartLamp," and even take calls.

When I spoke to Dan Barnes about his favorite aspect of Luma, he mentioned that he is a big fan of it's alarm system, which is managed through the app. The feature brings the LED lights and the speaker together, creating a neat output. This function helps you wake up the right way in the mornings, instead of the agonizing one you may be used to. By setting the tune and color, you can adjust the light to come on at a certain time and get brighter/louder over time, hopefully allowing you to get up slowly and without a sudden jolt.

The Potential:When in bed, I usually use my phone before falling asleep. So, I can relate to Dan's exaggeration in their video with him having to lean over the side of the bed to use his phone when it's charging, since the cord is not long enough to reach his bed. Also, I'm excited about the bluetooth speaker, which will not only allow me to wind down at night with some good music, but also wake up in the morning an appropriate manner using the alarm system.

Potentially, Luma SmartLamp has the aspects and components to closing major voids within a home or an office. It is energy efficient, elegant, modern, and smoothly navigated through an app. It's noticeable to see that Luma will be a hit among those looking for items that have evolved from a single usage product, to one that provides multiple functions.

As I ended my conversation with Dan about the future for Luma and its app, he expressed that once Luma SmartLamp hits the market, they will continue working on adding features to the lamp. These addition will be implemented through the app in order to expand on the user experience. To me, this was the icing on the cake, which shows that Luma has a bright future.